Truong Son Driver

Just got married 3 days ago and already enlisted in the army

Every time he returns to the K65-34 route in Huong Hoa district (Quang Tri), the image of transport vehicles passing through the rain of bombs and bullets of the American imperialists on this route in the past returns intact in the memory of veteran Vu Xuan Nhuong.

Born into a farming family of 7 siblings, and being the eldest child, after finishing 7th grade, due to not having the conditions to go to vocational school, Mr. Nhuong applied to work as a factory worker.

In September 1965, after 3 days of marriage, Mr. Nhuong received orders to join the army and was assigned to Division 312, also known as the Victory Division, under the Ministry of National Defense, later under Military Region 1, stationed in Thai Nguyen.

After 3 months of training, he was assigned to Company 31, Battalion 16, learned to drive and was assigned to drive at Regiment 4, Ground Artillery Division 312.

In July 1967, due to the battlefield's requirements, the 559th Regiment needed to add drivers to the task of transporting support to the battlefield. He was promoted to sergeant and became the squad leader of the 56th Transport Vehicle Battalion of the 559th Regiment to transport goods to the Southern battlefield.

Transport convoys at that time were always the number 1 target of enemy aircraft, and the Truong Son road was extremely dangerous, the road was small, and the road surface was plowed and plowed by enemy bombs and bullets, making it difficult to travel. However, with courage and resilience, Mr. Nhuong and his teammates overcame the enemy's rain of bombs and bullets to transport goods to the assembly point safely.

Mr. Nhuong often ran beyond the route and increased trips compared to the quota assigned by his superiors and was nicknamed "Tuan Ma" by his teammates. Many times, he and his teammates transported goods through the fierce bombing points of American planes, providing timely support to the battlefield.

In the dry season of 1968, the need for support from the battlefield was increasing, and there was a serious shortage of gasoline because there was no gasoline pipeline. The gasoline supplied to the military stations inside was mainly transported by cars. Many gasoline trucks had not yet arrived when they were shot down by American planes.

To ensure the vehicle's operation, the unit's auto engineer researched and manufactured a system that took gas from a charcoal stove and led it into a carburetor to start the engine instead of gasoline and installed it on two Gaz 63 vehicles. His squad was assigned to operate these two vehicles on the 30km long K65-34 route.

"The improved car running on coal gas sometimes ran low on coal when it reached the middle of the pass, so we had to stop to change coal. Many times, the fire accidentally flared up, singed our hair, cut off our eyebrows, and blinded us, but for the sake of our beloved South, my teammates and I continued driving on the road," said Mr. Nhuong.

Suicide Mission

The years in the Truong Son battlefield have many heroic memories, but perhaps the most unforgettable memory of veteran Vu Xuan Nhuong is that in the dry season of 1971-1972, the US imperialists fiercely attacked and blocked the military route 44. They dropped all kinds of bombs and mines on the Truong Son route such as magnetic bombs, time-delay bombs, entangled bombs, cluster bombs... to block and cut off the supply route to the Central Highlands battlefield and Inter-zone 5.

A new type of magnetic bomb dropped by the US landed right on the track of the truck, blocking the entire convoy of trucks carrying supplies to the battlefield. Although the engineer unit used a magnetic launcher and a wire frame to detonate the magnetic bomb to clear the way, the bomb still did not explode.

Faced with the urgent situation of having to clear the road to free the convoy at night, the unit discussed and agreed that the only way left was to use a truck to detonate the magnetic field. This was considered a "suicide" mission because just driving over it would detonate the bomb. At that time, he volunteered and was assigned the task of detonating this bomb.

Sharing his feelings at that time, veteran Vu Xuan Nhuong said that when the unit met to discuss and gather the spirit of volunteering, he volunteered and was assigned the task of detonating this bomb. At that time, life and death were only a hair's breadth apart, but that could not discourage him, because in the hearts of not only me but all those soldiers who drove the vehicles, there was the flame of love for the Fatherland that lit the way.

"I got in the car, honked the horn, tried the brakes, then accelerated. I only saw a flash of blue light behind me. My ears were ringing. The car bounced as if it was being pushed. I felt like my car was still running. At that moment, I knew I was still alive and had completed my mission. With that feat, I was honored to be admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam," Mr. Nhuong recalled.

After being injured many times while driving a truck to transport goods to the battlefield, veteran Vu Xuan Nhuong was hit by two pieces of shrapnel in the head and chest. In 1973, he was sent to the North for treatment and was assessed to have lost 51% of his health and a 45% type A disability.

At the end of 1974 he was demobilized and returned to his hometown.

Returning to normal life, he actively participated in local work such as holding the position of Deputy Director of Labor, Deputy Director in charge of cooperatives or working in land administration - agricultural tax - irrigation and traffic, then concurrently working in planning and statistics.

In 1998, following the wishes of his friends, comrades, and those who fought on the battlefield, he and his comrades in Van To (Tu Ky) found and gathered comrades who had fought and worked in Group 559 to establish the Truong Son Troop Liaison Committee in Tu Ky district and later changed its name to the Ho Chi Minh Truong Son Traditional Association in Tu Ky district and held the position of Chairman of the association from 2012 to present.

In his position, he coordinated the organization of many meaningful activities such as awarding Truong Son soldier badges to members; mobilizing and presenting hundreds of gifts to members in difficult circumstances, the elderly; socializing the construction of 7 gratitude houses for members with housing difficulties...

When asked, “What message do you want to send to today’s young generation?”, he said he only hopes that the next generation will live a useful life, have ideals, and have dreams to build the homeland and country to become increasingly prosperous. “Know how to cherish the life you have, because the price of peace is paid for by the blood of many fallen people,” said Mr. Nhuong.